Proposed ban on cellphones in school gains traction across the state
Bipartisan proposals to ban cellphones in the state’s public schools are gaining steam. State Reps. Mandy Steele, D-Fox Chapel, and Jill Cooper, R-Murrysville, are among those spearheading House Bill 1814 to restrict cellphones in classrooms. The move would protect children, streamline policies, reduce burden on staff and minimize disruptions, they...
Deadline for 2026 health insurance through Pennie is almost here
Pennsylvanians still searching for a 2026 health insurance plan are running out of time to secure it through the Affordable Care Act. Open enrollment on Pennie, the state’s Obamacare marketplace, ends just before midnight Jan. 31. Pennie officials had extended the deadline from an original cutoff of Jan. 15. The...
Police say SUV in fatal Monongahela River wreck plunged 120 feet into water
A woman who died Thursday after her SUV plunged into the icy Monongahela River from the Parkway East lost control of the vehicle, struck a snowbank and plummeted 120 feet into the water, police said. Jacinta Stevens, 31, veered across three lanes of traffic as she was driving outbound on...
Fundraisers organized for victims of separate North Huntingdon fires
Fundraisers have been organized on a crowdfunding platform to help two North Huntingdon families who were victims of fires this month — one family who lost their home and another whose dog kennel was destroyed. A GoFundMe page for Regina and Charles Bazala Sr. has raised $22,100 of a $28,000...
How cold is it? Pittsburgh is breaking records
It was as cold as it’s ever been on this date in Pittsburgh Friday morning. Temperatures sank to minus 6 degrees around 7:50 a.m. at the National Weather Service’s offices in Moon, according to meteorologist Jason Frazier. That slightly edges out today’s previous record low of minus 5, set in...
Faces of the Valley: PR director leaves Allegheny Valley School District after 3 decades
To Jan Zastawniak, it’s a great thing to be a Dynamo. The Springdale alumna and longtime borough resident retired in December from Allegheny Valley School District, where she worked as public relations director for more than 30 years. But Zastawniak was never lacking for other responsibilities at Allegheny Valley. She...
North Huntingdon gets state grant for Indian Lake rehab project
The state is offering to pour $665,200 into a major rehabilitation project at North Huntingdon’s 16-acre Indian Lake Park. The fish in the lake must be relocated so it can be drained, dredged and the Kenda Dam repaired over the next few years. In return for the money from the...
Pa. turnpike drug bust nets 40,000 stamp bags of suspected fentanyl worth $80K, police say
A New Jersey man is behind bars after state police said he was transporting approximately 40,000 stamp bags of suspected fentanyl on the Pennsylvania Turnpike through Westmoreland County, according to court papers. Troopers said they pulled over a westbound Honda SUV in Hempfield at 2 a.m. Thursday after noticing multiple...
Retired Fox Chapel attorney ranks 3rd in nation for niche sport of stair climbing
Retired Fox Chapel attorney Harrison Lauer is at the top of his game — literally. A long-time runner, Lauer hung up his shoes after a knee injury in 2020 but decided it was a detour, not a full stop. The 68-year-old turned to stair climbing, or tower running, which while...
Sweetwater Center for the Arts to celebrate Folk February with 2 musical performances
Sweetwater Center for the Arts is celebrating Folk February with two concerts celebrating folk and Americana music. Pittsburgh-based Buffalo Rose returns to Sweetwater for a three-peat performance Feb. 6. The band will bring its six-piece “Theater Kid Americana” sound, featuring strong vocal harmonies, mandolin and acoustic instrumentation in an energetic,...
PNC Foundation to give Pittsburgh $2M for snow removal equipment
As Pittsburgh crews struggle to plow and salt roads after a massive snowstorm, officials Thursday announced the PNC Foundation will give the city $2 million to buy new snow removal equipment. The foundation’s contribution will fund 15 new vehicles this year for the city’s Department of Public Works. “Last weekend’s...
Brackenridge Salvation Army weekly free lunches to continue
Free hot meals will continue to be distributed at the Brackenridge Salvation Army this year. The site on Brackenridge Avenue hosts a community lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays, with baked fish, turkey breast and sloppy Joe’s on the homemade menu. Up to 100 people are served. Captain...
Franklin Regional grad completes 1st short film through University of Pittsburgh fellowshipVideo
Gigi Vitolo has always loved storytelling. The Murrysville native has had an interest in theater and performing since middle school. But while she was majoring in business and literature at the University of Pittsburgh, she found herself searching for a creative outlet. When she was awarded the school’s David C....
Chartiers Valley 8th grade student wins MLK poetry contest, community award
A Chartiers Valley Middle School student was recognized for her writing ability. Saadhana Srinivasan, 14, won the Unsung Community Service Award among youth for her poem, “A Dream Come True,” at The One Music Fest in Bridgeville on Jan. 16. The poem also won the first annual MLK Poetry Contest...
Business owners and road crews work in tandem to preserve street parking after storm
With about a foot of snow blanketing Tarentum on Monday morning, Linda Gromley knew it was time to help herself. The owner of Mackay’s Market on East Sixth Avenue grabbed a shovel, along with her daughter, Rachel, and shoveled out two parking spaces on the street in front of her...
The Stroller, Jan. 30, 2026: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Alle Kiski Strong Chamber...
Scenes from the Valley: Images captured in the Alle-Kiski Valley from Jan. 22-29, 2026
Here is a weekly look at recent images captured throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley. From major news events to routine gatherings, TribLive’s “Scenes from the Valley” photo package brings to life activities and moments happening in your backyard. To have a photo considered as a “Scenes from the Valley” candidate, please...
Preserving National Opera House important for Pittsburgh and beyond
When irreplaceable spaces disappear from the Pittsburgh landscape, the damage to historical records is permanent. That’s the view of North Side resident Jonnet Solomon, who has dedicated 25 years to the preservation of the National Opera House, a Queen Anne-style mansion on the border of the city’s Homewood and Lincoln-Lemington...
What to know about police cooperation with ICE in Pennsylvania
Jaime Martinez has mourned with Pittsburgh’s immigrant community since he saw 14 people arrested at a Mexican restaurant in Marshall. Since those June arrests, he has witnessed four additional detainments by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As executive director of the immigrant advocacy group Frontline Dignity, he’s seen tensions escalate...
Head-on crash in Fawn sends person to the hospital
One person was hospitalized after a crash Friday evening in Fawn. Allegheny County dispatch said officers responded to the 2600 block of Bull Creek Road shortly after 5:30 p.m. Police Chief Timothy Mayberry said the driver of a Nissan Frontier truck traveling toward Bon Way Auto Body failed to navigate...
4 people injured in explosion at metal fabricating plant
Four people were taken to the hospital in Washington County following a reported explosion Thursday afternoon at a metal fabricating plant. A hazardous materials team was called to the Langeloth Metallurgical Co. facility in Smith Township, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The incident was reported at about 6:15 p.m....
Larry Cervi, beloved arts director and founder of East End Kids, dies
Larry Cervi, who spent decades shaping students and stages as an educator and performing arts director across the Pittsburgh region, was a people person at heart. Cervi, of Churchill, died Thursday, after a yearlong battle with bladder cancer, only two days after his 90th birthday. He founded the Larry Cervi...
Pittsburgh woman dies after car careens off Parkway East into Monongahela River
A Pittsburgh woman is dead after her vehicle went off the Parkway East and into the Monongahela River on Thursday afternoon. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified her as Jacinta Stevens, 31, of Pittsburgh’s West End. Stevens’ car landed in the river in the 900 block of Second Avenue, between...
Back to business: Local shops, restaurants come back to life after snowstorm
Small business owners say they’ve weathered a storm that left 10 or more inches of snow on downtown streets this week. It took a mix of snow shovel handiwork, municipal plow trucks and private contractors with backhoes and tri-axle dump trucks to bring business districts back to life. “This storm...
Hempfield woman charged in husband’s shooting death pushes for speedy trial
The lawyer for a Hempfield woman accused in the October shooting death of her husband said he’s ready for a fast-tracked trial to begin in March. Leeann Steel, 51, has been in jail without bond since her arrest following what prosecutors said was the murder of her husband. William Steel,...
